Mass Driver
Moderator: Moderators for English X Forum
Mass Driver
Are they worth it?
Does it run out of ammo fast?
What sort of range is it?
Does it run out of ammo fast?
What sort of range is it?
In general, it is not worth it; HOWEVER, it is very useful against the Khaak because they have decent shielding, but only little hull strength. Plus, the bullets travel quite fast. As far as I know, its range is quite small, and no, it does not run out of ammo very fast.
I'd go for a HEPT instead, but it depends on what kind of ship, and its role.
I'd go for a HEPT instead, but it depends on what kind of ship, and its role.
- Circumcisor
- Posts: 971
- Joined: Wed, 31. Dec 03, 20:15
They are very fast, 4 times faster than HEPT's. I use them on my Mamba for killing those nasty quick Khaak M5's that are too fast for my other ships. A Khaak M3 kill will take around 2-3 packs of ammo, an M5 hardly any.
I'd recommend you try them, but just as another method of killing, use it for a change when you are bored of HEPT's. It's good fun in a Mamba. For serious combat though they run out of ammo fairly quick and take a lot of hits to do any damage (only 12 hull damage per bullet, but you can put a lot of hits in per second) so HEPT's are better.
I'd recommend you try them, but just as another method of killing, use it for a change when you are bored of HEPT's. It's good fun in a Mamba. For serious combat though they run out of ammo fairly quick and take a lot of hits to do any damage (only 12 hull damage per bullet, but you can put a lot of hits in per second) so HEPT's are better.
If at first you don't succeed - better not try parachuting
Professional Magnate
Ace of Aces 1st Grade
[ external image ][ external image ]
Professional Magnate
Ace of Aces 1st Grade
[ external image ][ external image ]
They're great for capturing, though having to hold ammo is a bit of a pain. on my nova I use 1 Ion D and 1 mass driver to capture ships. some people prefer A PAC, but the mass driver puts out more hits with less dmg so you tend to get higher percentage captures (if the pilot is smart and bails when you want him to)
They are worth it, even as main wepon, although only up to a M4 Ship, most M3s can fit BHEPTs, which sould be prefered. M3 and above should recieve main weapons which pack more of a punch, but they're still a very good solution for Fighter Turrets set to missile defence, although a costly one. On a Nova (for example) it's no prob to carry 20+ packs of ammo with you, which means you have 4000+ rounds available, that will last some fights.
The mass driver is a special weapon.
Things the MD does well:
- Killing fast, highly maneuverable but weakly hulled ships such as M5 scout fighters
- Shooting down missiles
- Capturing
- Destroying targets that you would otherwise be unable to, due to shield recharge
Each round does 12 damage, and the weapon fires at 20 rounds per second. If you do the math, you'll see that the weapon is capable of 240 damage per second (480 if paired), each crate of ammunition is good for 2,400 points of hull damage and will last 10 seconds of sustained firing (5 seconds if paired). If you're using the weapon prudently, this is quite a long time. 20 crates should be sufficient for most any mission. And it's not really very expensive, a single load of scavenged missiles should fill you right up.
Do NOT try to use the mass driver to kill things that you could take care of just as easily with a different gun. Just wasting time and money. If you can kill a target with one pass of your HEPT's, then do so and stop complaining about how weak MD's are.
The mass driver will enable you to defeat larger opponents, that you couldn't scratch with normal laser weapons. Hull integrity does not recharge. I've defeated 3 Xenon K's and 2 Xenon J's in my Mamba, solo, using mass drivers. If you've got this weapon and enough ammunition, how strong your opponent's shields are is not a factor.
For targets with tough hulls that you want to capture, such as an M3 or a TS, it's faster and cheaper to use another weapon (like a PAC) to smack em around a bit before switching to the MD when their hull is near to or below 87%.
The MD does have a fairly short range, however, unlike other weapons, due to its excellent muzzle velocity it can actually HIT things at its maximum range. Consistently. It's a very accurate weapon.
Things the MD does well:
- Killing fast, highly maneuverable but weakly hulled ships such as M5 scout fighters
- Shooting down missiles
- Capturing
- Destroying targets that you would otherwise be unable to, due to shield recharge
Each round does 12 damage, and the weapon fires at 20 rounds per second. If you do the math, you'll see that the weapon is capable of 240 damage per second (480 if paired), each crate of ammunition is good for 2,400 points of hull damage and will last 10 seconds of sustained firing (5 seconds if paired). If you're using the weapon prudently, this is quite a long time. 20 crates should be sufficient for most any mission. And it's not really very expensive, a single load of scavenged missiles should fill you right up.
Do NOT try to use the mass driver to kill things that you could take care of just as easily with a different gun. Just wasting time and money. If you can kill a target with one pass of your HEPT's, then do so and stop complaining about how weak MD's are.
The mass driver will enable you to defeat larger opponents, that you couldn't scratch with normal laser weapons. Hull integrity does not recharge. I've defeated 3 Xenon K's and 2 Xenon J's in my Mamba, solo, using mass drivers. If you've got this weapon and enough ammunition, how strong your opponent's shields are is not a factor.
For targets with tough hulls that you want to capture, such as an M3 or a TS, it's faster and cheaper to use another weapon (like a PAC) to smack em around a bit before switching to the MD when their hull is near to or below 87%.
The MD does have a fairly short range, however, unlike other weapons, due to its excellent muzzle velocity it can actually HIT things at its maximum range. Consistently. It's a very accurate weapon.
Patient of the Mad Goner asylum for the mentally extravagant
Well said Momaw.
My Nova doesn't go anywhere without its 3 mass drivers, one for the turret and two on the front along with 2 Ion Ds and 2 BHEPTs.
(Nova: Best general purpose fighter/bomber in the game. )
My Nova doesn't go anywhere without its 3 mass drivers, one for the turret and two on the front along with 2 Ion Ds and 2 BHEPTs.
(Nova: Best general purpose fighter/bomber in the game. )
Have a great idea for the current or a future game? You can post it in the [L3+] Ideas forum.
X4 is a journey, not a destination. Have fun on your travels.
X4 is a journey, not a destination. Have fun on your travels.
- JackScratch
- Posts: 1776
- Joined: Tue, 17. Feb 04, 17:29
- Circumcisor
- Posts: 971
- Joined: Wed, 31. Dec 03, 20:15
For me, it's usually when the target is down to about 5% hull (but full shields) ...... maybe I should carry 1 extra crate next timeJackScratch wrote:Never know when you might run out of ammo.
If at first you don't succeed - better not try parachuting
Professional Magnate
Ace of Aces 1st Grade
[ external image ][ external image ]
Professional Magnate
Ace of Aces 1st Grade
[ external image ][ external image ]